My fiance and I are going to Perú in a few weeks and I'm beginning to get a bit nervous about vegan options. I've been to Costa Rica (completly different, I know) and had no problem. I'm excited for fresh fruit and vegetables. Some say to avoid them just as they did with Costa Rica but I had no problems.

I went a couple of years ago and didn't have any problem eating vegan! Where are you going in Peru? I was in Lima briefly, Cusco, hiked the Inca Trail, and did a mountain bike tour into the Amazon Jungle. My two travel mates were both omni, so I compromised a few times and went to places they wanted to eat and it was never a problem. I think every place we went to had pizza and they were great about just leaving the cheese off. They also compromised for me and we went to some great veggie places (especially in Cusco). The Inca Trail (4 days hiking/camping) and the Amazon Jungle (2 days) actually had the best food of the whole trip. I let the companies that we did the tours with know ahead of time and they prepared vegan food for me at every single meal (and it was all amazing!) Lima was my least favorite part of the trip, but that was because it was just a really huge, overwhelming city (and I've lived in NYC for 8 years, so I'm used to cities...) and I'd rather be somewhere pretty (and it is not really a pretty city, for the most part.)

So I'm thinking of perhaps doing a trip on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in 2013. I'm researching different companies. Zoetroppe thanks for linking to your post! Does anyone else have any experience? I'm looking for recommendations for good guide companies, especially ones that will accommodate vegans.

_________________I like my bagels like I like my men - big and covered with earth balance & nooch. - Bunniee

This might be too little, too late, but have you checked happycow.net? I remember seeing several vegan-friendly places listed there.

When I was travelling around South America I found many of the restaurants featured on Happy Cow had appeared to have closed down. Not good when you've walked halfway across a city to get there! /;

I only spent a week or so in Peru, but I remember being pleased with the vegan selection there (although to be fair I'd just spent six months in Argentina, a place you reallly don't want to go to if you're vegan; even they soy milk's not vegan). I didn't do the Inca Trail but my vegetarian friend did and said it was fine. The places I visited were pretty tourist (and therefore vegetarian) friendly... The only time I had a problem was when I went on a tour of the Colca Canyon and in the evening the tour group stopped at this restaurant and I had to spend 15 minutes discussing my limited options with the waitress who didn't know what veganism was while everyone else tucked into llama and guinea pig. /;

I went a couple of years ago and didn't have any problem eating vegan! Where are you going in Peru? I was in Lima briefly, Cusco, hiked the Inca Trail, and did a mountain bike tour into the Amazon Jungle. My two travel mates were both omni, so I compromised a few times and went to places they wanted to eat and it was never a problem. I think every place we went to had pizza and they were great about just leaving the cheese off. They also compromised for me and we went to some great veggie places (especially in Cusco). The Inca Trail (4 days hiking/camping) and the Amazon Jungle (2 days) actually had the best food of the whole trip. I let the companies that we did the tours with know ahead of time and they prepared vegan food for me at every single meal (and it was all amazing!) Lima was my least favorite part of the trip, but that was because it was just a really huge, overwhelming city (and I've lived in NYC for 8 years, so I'm used to cities...) and I'd rather be somewhere pretty (and it is not really a pretty city, for the most part.)

So happy to see this! Anyone who's trekked the Inca Trail--what footwear did you choose? I'm debating between hiking boots and trail runners--some people seem to think that heavier, stiffer hiking boots are more likely to result in blisters, while others think that trail runners will have too little ankle support... I'm definitely having better luck finding vegan trail runners (though I know vegan hiking boots are out there), but whatever I get, I want to start breaking them in soon....

So happy to see this! Anyone who's trekked the Inca Trail--what footwear did you choose? I'm debating between hiking boots and trail runners--some people seem to think that heavier, stiffer hiking boots are more likely to result in blisters, while others think that trail runners will have too little ankle support... I'm definitely having better luck finding vegan trail runners (though I know vegan hiking boots are out there), but whatever I get, I want to start breaking them in soon....

I wore the Garmont Kiowa Vegan Hiking shoes, but they appear to be discontinued now. I loved them and they worked really well on the trail for me, no blisters, and I didn't even break them in beforehand as much as I should have. Not sure if there is a newer version of these, but this is what they looked like, for reference: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/garmon ... n~p~2169t/

I wore the Garmont Kiowa Vegan Hiking shoes, but they appear to be discontinued now. I loved them and they worked really well on the trail for me, no blisters, and I didn't even break them in beforehand as much as I should have. Not sure if there is a newer version of these, but this is what they looked like, for reference: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/garmon ... n~p~2169t/

Thanks! Any other-than-obvious supplies you'd recommend? I am not an experienced trekker, so though I'm extremely excited, I'm also somewhat trepidacious...

As long as you stick to the tourist towns, Peru is easy for vegan food. Once you leave those towns it gets super limiting.

I didn't do a guided tour, but when I asked about it they said that vegan would be fine. You don't need much for the trail... wet wipes are the one thing I would suggest that they don't tell you. The farmacies in Peru sell them. I've trekked a lot elsewhere and packed and got in the van for the Salkantay Trek (there were strikes that closed the road so we cancelled rather than delay it, I was ready to leave Peru).

In May I will be in Lima/Barranco and in Cusco - this thread is a bit old and I am wondering if there are any newer suggestions on how to stay fed. And also footwear for Macchu Pichu.

Because I have no Spanish language skills whatsoever I am concerned about coping when we are not with our friend who is Peruvian. Any particular phrases to know? I need to come up with little cards to hand out.

Moon! I was just in Lima and Cusco and Macchu Pichu in December. I had some of the best vegan food of my life.

Get duolingo! I'll figure out the other apps to get. And I'll give you a list of the places we ate.

Where in Lima are you staying?

Where in Cusco?

Are you taking the Peru Rail to Macchu Pichu?

Do you plan on hiking from aguas calientes to Macchu Pichu or taking the bus?

I'm going with a kind of big group so I'm not 100% sure what the plan is for Macchu Pichu honestly - I'm assuming we are taking the bus due to the group booking.

For Lima we are staying in Barranco - at http://www.hostalelpatio.net. I keep hearing that people at vegan very well but the groom who is from the area is concerned on my behalf. So any specific places and things to ask for would be great.

A friend told me about a great place to eat in Cusco but I have to get the name from her.

So we just landed back at home this afternoon and I can't recommend Peru highly enough. I didn't even get to hit most of the restaurants that were on my list but I ate well and people were very accommodating - omni restaurants were so willing to go through everything in their menu and suggest options, way more than ones where I live. Even cheese-less pizza was amazing.

I am definitely going back. We didn't spend enough time in Cusco for my tastes and we all fell completely in love with where we stayed in Miraflores.

So if you're on the fence about doing a trip to Peru, I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and highly recommend it.